<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Homecoming by neonbutchery</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29296836">Homecoming</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/neonbutchery/pseuds/neonbutchery'>neonbutchery</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic Fluff, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/F, Fluff, Gardens &amp; Gardening, Gen, Headcanon, Mother-Daughter Relationship, No beta we die like Mordin, Paragon Shepard (Mass Effect), Post-Reaper War, Shepard is a plant nerd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:50:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,278</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29296836</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/neonbutchery/pseuds/neonbutchery</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>During a visit to Lessus, Falere and Shepard come up with an idea. Samara accidentally discovers it.<br/>Or, where after the war, the Justicar finds something to live for in her family.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Samara/Female Shepard (Mass Effect)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Homecoming</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Wanted to write something wholesome centered around Femshep/Samara because this ship needs more love. Also, Falere is here too since I'm a sucker for the (made-up by me) relationship they have after the war.<br/>Just a heads up, I took some liberties with both Shep and Samara's backgrounds. Since one is left up to the player and the other is non-existent, I thought I might add in some of my personal HCs.<br/>If you like this piece of writing I came up with instead of going to sleep, feel free to drop kudos or a nice comment below. You can follow me on Tumblr @ neonbutchery. I mainly post fanart (including more Shamara stuff)!</p><p>Edit (18/03/21): corrected some terms to make it more canon-compliant. Thank you all for the kudos and comments!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Samara isn't used to waking up this late. </p><p> </p><p>There's no alarm clock on her bedside table, but judging by the rays of sunlight entering the room, it must be past nine. The left side of the bed is empty, with only crumpled bedsheets on it, and at first she unconsciously tries to reach out for the warm body that's usually huddled with her. </p><p> </p><p>But once her fingertips feel the cold air, she realizes Shepard must be somewhere on the monastery. Her anxiety creeps up again and hundreds of horrible scenarios run through her head—<em> something bad has happened, something that's really bad, and the Reapers have come again to take everyone away despite the fact that they have been gone for years </em>—, and taking a deep breath, she does her best to keep those thoughts at bay. They appeared after the war, a product of untreated trauma and a tendency to refuse help, but doctor visits have helped. And besides that, there's Shepard by her side, there to caress her until the tight feeling in Samara's chest disappears. The commander’s saved her life more than once. Sometimes, the feeling of the cold, hard steel of the gun’s cannon pressed against her temple returns as a grim reminder of the time she almost pulled the trigger and ended it all.</p><p> </p><p>She’s grateful she didn’t. Now, Samara’s standing in the same place where it all happened: Lesuss, home of the Ardat-Yakshi monastery where her daughters resided before everything went south. It’s definitely way emptier than it was, with its only inhabitant being the sole survivor of the Reaper massacre and her youngest child. Falere has managed to rebuild a significant portion of what the retreat used to be despite limited resources. Samara’s proud of her no matter what others say (“How can you leave an Ardat-Yakshi alone, unguarded and expect her to behave?”. She still can hear the mocking voice of one of the matriarchs who confronted her.) She will fight tooth and nail with Asari High Command if she has to. No one will take her family away from her anymore; not a Reaper, and definitely not some bored diplomat with nothing better to do. </p><p> </p><p>That’s why she’s taking a break from Justicar duty and visiting Falere. It’s something that would have never crossed her mind in the old days of chasing Morinth around, but after a war—both against a foreign enemy and herself—, she deserves some rest. Well, according to Shepard, who’s also been through her fair share of trouble. It took the Spectre a long time to recover from whatever the Crucible did: the explosion had blown off her right arm and leg, among other physical and mental damage, and she spent months in the hospital, in and out of surgery and receiving visits from nearly everyone, from close friends to that one guy she had saved from thugs back in 2185. But five years later she is back into shape, ready to serve the Council—and apparently go on vacation somewhere in asari space.</p><p> </p><p>And with Shepard gone, it’s up to Samara to go find her. She gets up, stretches and takes her usual five-minute cold shower before getting dressed. On her partner’s insistence, she’s put the uniform aside and chosen more casual outfits (courtesy of Shepard taking her on a shopping spree while in Illium). Yes, Justicars are supposed to have no possessions other than their armor and weapons, but things have changed. After all, they aren’t supposed to fall in love with the most powerful being in the galaxy, either. But times are different. </p><p> </p><p>She ends up choosing a turtleneck sweater, pants, and Alliance requisitioned boots Shepard lent her. Sometimes, she’s glad humans and asari have nearly identical anatomy: the garments are simple and comfortable enough for a day of enjoying her company and the stunning views of the dark blue sky. The door closes behind Samara as she leaves the small quarter and makes her way into the bright hallways, trying to find any sign of either Shepard or Falere. The mess hall, the common areas, the antechamber. Nothing. On one of the dining tables there are traces of breakfast: a dirty plate with a smell that she quickly recognizes as eggs and bacon, Shepard’s favorite. Samara isn’t quite fond of human cuisine herself, but she has to admit the scent is enticing—and the idea of Shepard getting some proper nourishment instead of military rations too—.</p><p> </p><p>So far, the search is unsuccessful. She keeps on exploring the building, remembering the vaguely familiar layout. She has been here before, centuries ago, in a brief visit to her daughters. Ironic how despite everything that has happened in the galaxy, it has remained relatively similar even while bearing its scars from the war, just like everyone else does. Instinctively, her fingers reach for her left wrist, where a blast from a Marauder had hit her hard enough to rupture a tendon and render her hand incapacitated for quite some time. Thankfully, it had been after the battle for Earth, and was nothing that physical therapy could fix. Compared to some of the other wounds she had suffered over the years and the scars they had left, creating a unique pattern of rough tissue that in a way, was beautiful (that’s what Shepard says when they’re locked together in the most intimate of embraces, during dark nights spent between the sheets), a wrist injury is nothing. </p><p> </p><p>Samara snaps out of her thoughts and reaches the courtyard, walking between benches and trees and a statue Shepard had recovered from the debris of her homeworld, an asari colony somewhere near Terminus. It had been an outlandish declaration of love, mainly because a sentence such as “I went to this backwater planet and covered myself in dust from head to toe in order to get you a gift” made no sense both by asari and human courting standards. But what about Shepard, who had fought the geth, came back from the dead, and stopped the galaxy from an invasion, made sense? They were so different, Samara being refined and distinguished and Shepard being <em> Shepard </em> , yet they had found each other among trillions of people and after going through hell and back together, she had decided to finally utter those three words. <em> I love you </em>.</p><p> </p><p>Ever since then, Samara has both heard and said it a thousand times. She still hasn’t gotten tired of that. </p><p> </p><p>She reaches the western end of the courtyard with a sigh. Neither her daughter nor her bondmate appear to be around that area, and she starts wondering if maybe Shepard just took Falere out for a trip. Either on foot or in the Mako. <em> Oh, Goddess. Not the Mako</em>. Samara had the pleasure of experiencing Shepard’s driving that one time she decided to assist in a mission in one of Saturn’s moons in the Sol system, and it took them five hours to be rescued after the commander had stuck the damn vehicle in a ditch. If that is the case, she knows she’ll mentally have to ready herself for a talk.</p><p> </p><p>And then she hears it. Two familiar voices chatting in a corner. Relief swarms her chest and her eyes spot the silhouettes of a human and asari tending to a vegetable patch, aprons on and gloves covering their hands.</p><p> </p><p>“...my dad was a botanist. Back home, he was the one who took care of the garden and made sure all our crops were taken care of. When I wasn’t at school, he took me with him to work on the plants. Granted, I didn’t understand any of the scientific data he showed me, but the feeling of digging my hands into the dirt…”</p><p> </p><p>“I suppose it stayed with you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. I used to keep plants in the SR1, too. Fake ones made of plastic, but they reminded me of home. Then it got blown up and by the time I had the SR2, I was too busy making sure my fish didn’t die to take care of yet another lifeform.”</p><p> </p><p>She approaches them silently. They seem to be so deep in their conversation that they don’t notice her presence. Samara squints, and from the corner of her eye, she can make out more details. Specifically, the sprouts they’re burying into the soil, of a muted purple she recognizes from a documentary about Thessian flora.</p><p> </p><p>“I thought mother was kidding when she said you were a marine life killer.”</p><p> </p><p>“Your mother told you about that? Shit.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry. I’m sure she won’t hunt you down for that.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do you know if fish are included in Justicar oaths? Asking for a friend.”</p><p> </p><p>A hearty chuckle erupts and fills the empty space with laughter, and even Samara herself can’t help but slightly curl her lips in a grin. She has never had a big sense of humor, but ever since Shepard, she had learned how to smile again—even if it was at painfully bad jokes about inadequate pet care. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m not sure. I will have to ask her.”</p><p> </p><p>“Please do.” </p><p> </p><p>A few seconds pass before Falere speaks again.</p><p> </p><p>“Can you tell me another story about your dad? Or just the work you did at the greenhouse?”</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t think you would be so interested in plants of all things.”</p><p> </p><p>“I tended the plants before. It’s always been a hobby of mine. It kept me occupied in the monastery.”</p><p> </p><p>“So, which one? The story about the weird carnivorous plant from Sur’Kesh we had to take care of or the one where my dad’s assistant decided to grow blue tomatoes as part of his project?”</p><p> </p><p>“Carnivorous plant?”</p><p> </p><p>“Dad knew a salarian. He was kind of a family friend and they had worked together before, so the salarian asked him to take care of a specimen while he was away. Like a friend would leave you to watch their dog while they’re away, but instead, it was a carnivore plant.” </p><p> </p><p>“Dog?”</p><p> </p><p>“Animal from Earth. It’s like a varren, but… fluffy.”</p><p> </p><p>“I can picture it.”</p><p> </p><p>“I should bring one here the next time we visit. Anyways. Salarian left us with the plant. We knew it was carnivorous, but we thought it only ate bugs. Nine-year-old me, the idiot child I was, decided to touch the thing because I was curious. And, in a turn of events that surprised no one but me, it bit me. Next thing I know, I’m at the infirmary getting my hand bandaged and my dad and the salarian are yelling at each other. Have you ever heard a salarian yell? Jesus. It’s something else.”</p><p> </p><p>“And the moral of this story is…?”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t touch strange alien plants or else they might leave a naughty scar on your hand.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sure people thought they were from something more serious.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, they did.” Shepard’s laugh can be heard even from the secluded spot Samara’s in. “People would ask me. <em> Varren mauling? </em> And I turned to them and said no, nasty wildlife from Sur’kesh. I hope you aren’t planning to grow those in your garden.”</p><p> </p><p><em> A garden? </em> That’s new. Falere had been keeping her mother updated on everything that went on in the monastery. Had her daughter and Shepard been planning something behind her back? A sort of surprise party? Samara didn’t usually celebrate her birthday, and even if she did, the idea of a garden as gift was strange. </p><p> </p><p>“Now I won’t. So thank you for the advice, Shepard. But could you do a few favors for me?”</p><p> </p><p>“Let me guess. Seeds from Earth?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes. I know it might be hard to recover some of them, but I’d really appreciate it. I want to plant so many things here, not just… flora from asari worlds.”</p><p> </p><p>“Then I will make sure to bring you something. I’ve got some friends on Palaven, Rannoch and Sur’Kesh who could help, too. No carnivore plants from the latter, though.”</p><p> </p><p>“Really?” Even if Samara can’t see her daughter’s face, she’s sure she’s beaming. “I… I can’t thank you enough. I always thought of actually having a garden in here, but the matriarch wouldn’t let me. But…”</p><p> </p><p>“Things have changed, haven’t they? Now there’s no matriarch to tell you what to do, and we can spend our whole lives here trying to set up a greenhouse if we want. ”</p><p> </p><p>“That sounds nice. What about mother, though? I don’t see her tending to some flowers.”</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t see your mom as my partner of two years either, but look at us now. She loves you, Falere, and I’m sure she’ll be happy to spend more time with you. You’ve been centuries apart. She wants to make up for it.”</p><p> </p><p><em> I do</em>, Samara thinks to herself. She realized her own faults as a person a long time ago; as a mother who had abandoned her children, as a lover who had pushed someone she cared for away. She knows her and Falere’s relationship can’t be fixed with just a simple apology. Her child has forgiven her, but Samara doubts she will ever forgive herself.</p><p> </p><p>She can try, though.</p><p> </p><p>Her conscience has hardly ever allowed her to be free and stop carrying burdens. Even after Morinth, after the war, some old ghosts still haunt her.</p><p> </p><p>But then she looks at her partner and her daughter again, the two people she cares the most for in this galaxy, the two people she would take a bullet for, and for some time, she feels at peace with the universe. </p><p> </p><p>And as she finally gets out of hiding and approaches them and is greeted by a sweet kiss on the lips from Shepard, she’s certain this serenity will last.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Don't be like Shepard, kids. Feed your fish.<br/>Falere did end up getting that dog and three more. All of them are akita inu and love running around Lessus, belly rubs and disturbing Samara while she's meditating.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>